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A destructive outbreak of nine tornadoes struck the Great Plains on May 29, 1953. The worst one was an F5 tornado that hit Fort Rice, North Dakota, destroying multiple structures and causing the majority of the casualties that day. Other strong tornadoes occurred that day, including an F2 tornado that did major damage when it struck McLaughlin, South Dakota. Overall, the outbreak killed two people, injured 22 others, and caused $827,500 (1953 USD) in damage.
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | May 29, 1953 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 9 |
| Max. rating1 | F5 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 9 hours |
| Fatalities | 2 fatalities, 22 injuries |
| Damage | $827,500 (1953 USD)[1] |
| Areas affected | Great Plains |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1953 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
An unusually strong surface low-pressure system moved into northwestern South Dakota during the afternoon of May 29, 1953. Surface observations indicated that it, along with another nearby low to its southeast, had a pressure lower than 996 mb (29.41 inHg). A dryline extended from this strong low southward ahead of a cold front that curled southwestward while a warm front extended east-northeastward into the Coteau des Prairies of southeastern North Dakota Behind the surface low, an upper-level low moved northeastward through Montana, increasing the pressure gradient over the Northern Plains and inducing high wind shear across the area. Temperatures that afternoon reached anywhere from the upper 80s to mid-90s and with dew points from 60 to 70 °F, the atmosphere was ripe for an outbreak of severe thunderstorms.[2][3]
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. |
Time (UTC) | Path length | Max. width | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | ENE of Kendrick | Sheridan | WY | 44.75°N 106.17°W | 20:00–? | 0.2 mi (0.32 km) | 10 yd (9.1 m) | A tornado occurred of open country with little to no damage reported.[nb 3][2][5] |
| F2 | Bloom | Ford | KS | 37.48°N 99.92°W | 21:00–? | 0.1 mi (0.16 km) | 10 yd (9.1 m) | A strong tornado struck the town of Bloom, destroying several small buildings. No damage estimate was given. Tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis did not classify the tornado as an F2 or stronger.[2][6][7] |
| F2 | McLaughlin | Corson | SD | 45.82°N 100.82°W | 21:45–? | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) | 33 yd (30 m) | This brief, but strong tornado hit the town of McLaughlin. An auditorium was unroofed, barns and outbuilding were destroyed and seven homes and two businesses were damaged or destroyed. Two people were injured and damages totaled $250,000.[2][3][6][8] |
| F5 | NNW of Cannon Ball to Fort Rice to SW of Brittin | Morton, Emmons, | ND | 46.45°N 100.67°W | 23:00–23:30 | 14.8 mi (23.8 km) | 600 yd (550 m) | 2 deaths – See section on this tornado |
| F2 | S of Wyndmere | Richland | ND | 46.20°N 97.13°W | 00:00–? | 0.1 mi (0.16 km) | 10 yd (9.1 m) | This brief but strong tornado struck a farm, wrecking or flattening several large barns, one of which measured up to 70 feet (21 m) in length, causing $2,500 in damage.[2][3][6][9] |
| F1 | Conde | Spink | SD | 45.17°N 98.12°W | 03:00–? | 0.1 mi (0.16 km) | 10 yd (9.1 m) | A tornado moved at 70–80 miles per hour (110–130 km/h) through Clark and Codington counties, destroying building and machinery and causing $25,000 in damage. The funnel cloud from this tornado was seen from Conde and Wallace. The NCEI only lists this as a brief tornado northwest of Conde.[2][3][10] |
| F2 | NNE of Willow Lake to WSW of Vienna | Clark | SD | 44.65°N 97.62°W | 03:30–? | 1.9 mi (3.1 km) | 10 yd (9.1 m) | This strong tornado formed near Willow Lake and moved northeastward, destroying buildings on five farmsteads. The damage estimate from the tornado was $25,000, although Grazulis did not classify the tornado as an F2 or stronger.[2][3][6][11] |
| F1 | NW of Chapman | Hall | NE | 41.05°N 98.22°W | 03:30–? | 0.1 mi (0.16 km) | 10 yd (9.1 m) | A set of farm buildings was destroyed, although no damage estimate was given.[2][12] |
| F2 | E of Gardner to NW of Perley, MN | Cass | ND | 47.15°N 96.93°W | 05:00–? | 3.6 mi (5.8 km) | 100 yd (91 m) | A strong tornado moved northeast, damaging or destroying buildings on three farms and causing $25,000 in damage before lifting just west of the Red River at the Minnesota border. Grazulis did not classify the tornado as an F2 or stronger.[2][3][6][13] |
Cannon Ball-Fort Rice-Lake Oahe-Britin-Moffit, North Dakota
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 29, 1953 |
| F5 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | >261 mph (420 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Casualties | 22 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Injuries | 20 |
| Areas affected | Cannon Ball, Fort Rice, Brittin, Moffit |
The tornado, which was over 3/4 of a mile in width, struck Fort Rice, destroying 16 homes and leveling a church. Pews from the church were driven four feet into the ground. Additionally, components of a car were thrown for over a half mile. The tornado also crossed Lake Oahe before dissipating near Britin (not to be confused with Britain) and Moffit. One person was killed in Fort Rice while another person was killed near the touch down point north of Cannon Ball. There were 20 injuries and $500,000 in damage. Despite the damage, tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis questioned some of the construction of the buildings and initially rated this as an F4 tornado. However, he did subsequently rate the tornado F5. This tornado was one of the only two F5 tornadoes to strike North Dakota, the other being the Fargo tornado which would occur a few years later.[2][3][6][14][15]
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